Shirt and method of manufacturing same



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER A. OBRIEN, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

SHIRT AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING SAME.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 500,270, dated J' une 27, 1893.

' Application filed March 20. 1893. Serial No. 466,938 (No model.)

To all whom t may concern.:

Be it known that I, WALTER A. OBRIEN, of Boston, county of Suffolk, State ot Massachusetts,fhave invented an Improvement in Shirts and Methods 0f Manufacturing the Same, of which the following description, in'

connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like lett-ers and figures on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention has for its object the production of a novel knitted shirt by a novel method, said shirt having a collar knitted thereto, and open in front to be folded over or down to resemble a so-called sailor-collar.

Prior to my invention, knitted garments of the class designated as sweaters have had long collars made tubular by a seam or seams, the collars being folded or doubled in their length. I have aimed to improve this class of shirt and to adapt it for more extended use, and this I have done by making the collar open in front.

Figure l, shows the collar portion of my improved garment, together with the back of the shirt, they being made before the front of the shirt. Fig. 2, shows the collar portion folded together and with the front of the shirt knitted to it. Fig. 3, shows the collar united to the front and back the latter not yet having been united; and Fig. 4, shows the parts shown in Fig. 3 brought together into shirt form with the collar turned over.

In the manufacture of my improved knitted shirt, I iirst set-up upon a part of the needles of aknitting machine,-preferablya machine of the so-called Lamb class, it having two rows of inclined needles adapted in their knitting movements to cross each other,-a suiicient number of loops for the production of a piece of knitted web A, see Fig. 1, of suitable length for the collar of the shirt to be produced, the knitting being commenced at the edge a, and ending at a', where a part, say substantially one-fourth, the loops at each end are run oft. The neck so produced has two selvage edges a2, a2, and a portion of the loops between the parts lO-lO remain on the needles. In this condition the knitter again sets-up loops on a sufficient number of needles at the right and left of the point l0, to form the shoulders for the back B of the shirt, and starts the machine, supplying yarn to such needles and also to the needles between the points l0-10, thus knitting not only on the needles on which the loops were so set-up but also ou the needles holding the collar from the points IO-lO, the knitting being continued until the rear part or back B of the shirt is of the proper length, when the back will be run o theneedles. The back half of the shirt having been knitted, the collar is then folded in `such direction as to bring the two selvage edges 0.2, a2 substantially together, or nearly so, to thus constitute a neck, as in Fig. 2, and then the loops along the edge c', previously cast off as stated before knitting the back B of the body, are picked upon the needles of the knitting machine together with the loops from b to b of the shoulder part of the back. This done, all the needles referred to are again supplied with thread and the knitting is resumed until a piece of fabric B has been knitted as an extension of the front of the collar A, the portion B so produced constituting the front half of the shirt, itbeing of any desired or suitable length.

Fig. 3, shows the front and back knitted as flat straight webs upon the lower end of the collar, the latter being open in front, as at g.

To complete the shirt, the back B and the front B', Will be brought together and the two side edges of the front will be stitched to the two side edges of the back, as represented at lt, h, Fig. fi, leaving, however, suitable openings, as c5, for the arm holes, and to these openings may be attached in any suitable manner suitable sleeves if desired.

In use, the collar A may be turned back, down and over, as represented in Fig. 4, so that the collar presents the appearance of a so-called sailor collar.

Thegarmentdescribedaud madeassetforth, is well adapted for use by ladies engaged in athletic work, and is found to be very desirable for use of mariners and seafaring men where a regulation turn-down collar is consideredv essential.

l-Iaving described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A knitted garment composed of a front and back and having a long collar open in front and knitted to the back and to the front of the shirt, the collar having selvage edges IOO of the shirt; then picking onto the needles the loops of the collar which were previously run olf as stated, and also the loops at the shoulder part of the back of the shirt; supplying all said needles with yarn, and knitting on the said needles to the shoulder` tops of the back and to the loops of the front of the collar, the front of the shirt; continuingthe knitting until the front is of the proper length, and thereafter uniting the side edges of the front and back together, leaving suitable arm holes, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WALTER A. OBRIEN.

Witnesses:

GEO. W. GREGORY, M. J. SHERIDAN. 

